Looking east in the 500 block of Garden of the Gods
Road a little before noon March 26, Colorado Springs Utilities workers finish
patching the asphalt they had to tear up to fix a gas-line leak the night before.

Westside Pioneer photo

A private contractor digging in the right-hand eastbound lane of the 500 block of
Garden of the Gods Road hit a Colorado Springs Utilities natural gas line, causing the
closure of the six-lane thoroughfare in both directions from I-25 to Centennial
Boulevard for more than six hours the afternoon and evening of March 25.
Colorado Springs Utilities repaired the line that night and laid temporary paving over it
the morning of March 26 to return the street to normal. The contractor who hit the line
is expected to put in permanent paving as part of mitigating a financial penalty that's
yet to be determined, according to Utilities spokesperson Patrice Lehermeier.
No injuries were reported, although traffic was backed up with the event occurring
during the evening rush hour.
The gas line is two inches in width. The contractor probably had a permit for digging in
the street, Lehermeier said, although she did not have that information immediately
available.